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ECU first Australian University to receive Gillard Government Structural Adjustment Funding

Friday, 11 March 2011

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Federal Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Senator Chris Evans, announced yesterday that Edith Cowan University will be the first Australian university to receive funding under the Gillard Government’s $400 million Structural Adjustment Fund (SAF).

As part of the ECU Curriculum 2012 project, ECU will receive $6.9 million to tailor its teaching programs to produce job-ready graduates, as well as provide additional training for teaching staff at metropolitan and regional campuses to help prepare students for employment.

“Edith Cowan University will reshape its curriculum to support an innovative student learning experience with a focus on delivering job-ready graduates,” said Senator Evans.

“The University will ensure students have the literacy and maths skills they need to succeed and will use practical assessments to prepare them for the workforce.”

“This funding will help ECU establish longer term financial sustainability and will ensure that students continue to have access to high quality teaching and learning experiences,” he said.

ECU is one of the many universities across Australia that had responded positively to the Government’s decision to remove limits on student numbers.

“Enrolments are growing strongly at ECU and the Government is committed to ensuring that universities are supported as they adjust to the new system,” said Senator Evans.

“By uncapping student places, the Gillard Government is opening up opportunities to a new generation of Australians who might otherwise have been unable to attend university because places would not have been available.”

Acting Vice-Chancellor, Mr Warren Snell, believes the funding is wonderful recognition of ECU’s ongoing commitment to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible.

“We are thrilled to receive the funding, which will allow ECU to further develop programs and learning opportunities for our students to ensure that they have the best education possible as they enter the workforce.”

The Government established the $400 million Structural Adjustment Fund to help universities make significant structural changes that will allow them to operate more competitively in the demand driven funding system.

All universities were invited to apply for SAF funding, with ECU the only university to receive the funding to date.